Explaining European Identity Formation [electronic resource] : Citizens’ Attachment from Maastricht Treaty to Crisis /
Bergbauer, Stephanie.author.
What makes people identify with Europe? To answer this question, this book analyzes the development and determinants of a common European identity among EU citizens from the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to the recent financial and economic crisis. The author examines citizens’ identification with Europe for all EU member states, and systematically explores the theoretical and empirical implications of two turning points in the recent history of EU integration, namely the EU’s enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe in 2004/2007 and the financial and economic crisis that started in 2008. The book integrates theoretical approaches to European identity in sociology, social-psychology and EU public opinion research in a comprehensive model for explaining individual identification with Europe. The empirical analysis employs a multilevel framework to systematically assess the influence of individual characteristics and the political, economic, and social context on citizens’ feelings of identity. The long analysis period spanning from 1992 to the present allows inferences to be drawn about the long-term developments in the sources of European identification as well as the immediate impact of EU enlargement and the crisis on the determinants of European identification.
Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters.
The Relevance of a Common European Identity among the Citizens of Europe -- Conceptualising European Identification and Mechanisms of European Identity Formation -- The Sources of European Identity: A Theoretical Model for Explaining Individual Identification with Europe -- The Development of Citizens' Identification with Europe from Maastricht to the Crisis -- The Salience of European and National Identity for Political Parties in Europe -- Explaining European Identification: The Impact of Enlargement and the Crisis on Feelings of European Identity among EU Citizens -- The State of European Identity After the Crisis: Implications for Research and Policymaking.
What makes people identify with Europe? To answer this question, this book analyzes the development and determinants of a common European identity among EU citizens from the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to the recent financial and economic crisis. The author examines citizens’ identification with Europe for all EU member states, and systematically explores the theoretical and empirical implications of two turning points in the recent history of EU integration, namely the EU’s enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe in 2004/2007 and the financial and economic crisis that started in 2008. The book integrates theoretical approaches to European identity in sociology, social-psychology and EU public opinion research in a comprehensive model for explaining individual identification with Europe. The empirical analysis employs a multilevel framework to systematically assess the influence of individual characteristics and the political, economic, and social context on citizens’ feelings of identity. The long analysis period spanning from 1992 to the present allows inferences to be drawn about the long-term developments in the sources of European identification as well as the immediate impact of EU enlargement and the crisis on the determinants of European identification.
European Union.
European Economic Community literature.
Political sociology.
Comparative politics.
Europe—Politics and government.
European Union Politics.
European Integration.
Political Sociology.
Comparative Politics.
European Politics.